The Coffee Shop
by Dorrica
Summary: Ten years after his adventure in New York City, Kevin has an unexpected encounter with someone he was certain he had seen the last of.
1. Part I: Two Creams, Two Sugars

**Title:** The Coffee Shop  
**Author:** Dorri  
**Summary:** Ten years after his adventure in New York City, Kevin has an unexpected encounter with someone he was certain he had seen the last of. (Three-part fanfic)  
**Rating:** T (for language, brief violence and mature discussions)  
**Disclaimer:** "Home Alone" and its characters do not belong to me. I make no profit from these writings.

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PART I:  
**Two Creams, Two Sugars**

Kevin McCallister thought for sure that he would have been used to these frigid temperatures by now after having lived in Chicago almost his entire life, but the brutal cold never got any easier. He always hated having to wear multiple layers of clothing; it made mobility a bit of an issue. Clenching his teeth, he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck as a gust of wind slapped him sharply in the face. He walked to the edge of the sidewalk and stopped, waiting for the signal to change so that he could cross the street. He jumped when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, grumbling as he started to fish for it. Seeing his mother's name on the ID, he flipped the phone open and placed it to his ear.

"Hey, Mom," he said.

"_Kevin, honey, where are you? I thought you were having dinner with the family tonight."_

The young man winced with guilt. "I know. I've been sort of scatterbrained today. I've been running errands all day. Not only that, I've got a few assignments that I need to get cracking on."

"_Are you going to be able to make it tonight?"_

Kevin sighed. "No, I don't think I am. I'm sorry. I should have called earlier."

"_Well…should I make you a plate?"_

"Nah. I don't think I'll be over at all to pick it up. I'll be over next weekend, I promise. Nothing'll stand in my way next weekend."

"_Well, look, I don't want you to ignore your schoolwork. Christmas is just around the corner, so we'll be together then._ _Until then, you focus on your classes."_

"All right, I gotcha, Mom."

"_All right, I love you, sweetie."_

"Love you, too, Mom. Bye." With that, Kevin flipped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket, sighing guiltily. His mother practically depended on him to come home every week for dinner, or at the very least, every other week. Buzz rarely made it over since he had gotten married and moved out of town, and Linnie was hardly ever heard from since she started attending law school. Jeff and Megan made it by occasionally, but between work and relationships, they were both pretty distracted as well.

Kevin had been the last to move out of the house, and his departure was easily the most emotional for his mother. As long as there was still one child living in the house, it was easier for her to deal with the pain of seeing her other children leave the nest, but once Kevin was gone, it was much harder. But she took comfort in knowing that he was only living a short distance from home. Kevin himself really couldn't fathom the idea of living hours away from his parents, and in actuality, it was best that at least one child was living close by in case he was ever needed for something.

Still standing at the edge of the sidewalk, Kevin glared up at the red hand that signaled for him to stay put. "Hurry up," he growled as he stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, desperate for warmth. Squinting through the harsh winds, he spotted a coffee shop across the street, just a short distance off to the left, which made him all the more eager for the signal to change. He could really use a cup of coffee right about now.

The red hand changed to a green walking man and Kevin practically dashed across the street. "Coffee, coffee, coffee," he chanted over and over again eagerly as he marched up the sidewalk towards the little coffee shop. Coffee had become to Kevin at twenty what cheese pizza had been to him at eight. Now in college and awake at all hours of the night sometimes, coffee was practically his lifeline, but right now he just needed something hot in his system to counterbalance the cold.

Grabbing the handle, Kevin yanked the door open, a string of bells jingling loudly as they banged against the glass to signal his arrival. He sighed happily as the warmth of the shop enveloped him, making his frozen fingers tingle slightly. The warmth was accompanied by the strong, appealing aroma of coffee, which made him more eager to get his hands on the hot beverage. He noticed a man working behind the counter with his back turned to him.

"Be with ya in a minute, buddy," he said in a voice that sounded oddly familiar to the twenty-year-old. Kevin took his seat on one of the stools in front of the counter, pulling off his gloves and setting them aside.

"Better brace yourself when you leave tonight," the younger man said as he unraveled the scarf from around his neck. "You wouldn't believe how cold it is out there."

"Oh yeah, I would. I've lived in Chicago a long time, pal. I know how cold it gets."

Damn, that voice sounded so familiar.

"I feel like that little kid in "A Christmas Story" with all this gear on," Kevin laughed as he managed to wiggle out of his heavy coat. "I can barely move."

The man gave a short chuckle, finally turning around to serve him. His expression was calm and relaxed when he first caught his eye, but within seconds after taking in the young man's features, the corners of his lips fell into a deep frown and his eyes widened. Kevin's expression wasn't much different.

"Holy crap," the two said in unison.

"This world just keeps getting smaller and smaller," said Kevin, not looking at all threatened by the man's presence. He looked more amused than anything else.

The elder man shook his head in disgust, one hand tightening into a fist. "This isn't funny anymore. Where the hell do you keep coming from?"

"I _live _here, remember? I think it was inevitable that you were going to see me again at some point." The blond leaned his head against his hand. "You know, it's so weird….Just last week, I was wondering what Larry and Curly were up to."

"Shut up, you little twerp, or I'll pop you in the mouth," the man snarled as he leaned over the counter threateningly, but he quickly shook his head, turning away. "Nah, nuh-ungh, you ain't worth it anymore," he said, wagging a finger. "I ain't gonna waste one iota of energy on you."

"Wow. Did you just use the word, 'Iota' correctly in a sentence? I'm impressed. Now can you spell it?"

"You can push my buttons all ya want, but I ain't touchin' ya. Just forget it."

"Aww, I'm hurt, Harry."

Harry placed one hand on the counter and leaned into it casually. "Here's how it's going to be, you little creep: you don't talk to me, and I don't spit in your coffee. How's that?"

Kevin shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"Good, now what'd you want?" the man snapped, that raging urge for revenge still twinkling in his eyes.

"Just a regular. Two creams, two sugars."

Harry busied himself behind the counter with preparing the coffee, while Kevin sat by idly, silently watching him with heightened curiosity. He certainly didn't look how he had always remembered him. With a nicely tailored, long-sleeved, navy blue shirt and no winter cap on, he hardly recognized him. The sleek nametag that was pinned to his shirt only added to the oddity of his appearance.

"All right, here," the man snapped as he placed a lid over the cup and thrust it in the younger man's face. Kevin took it hesitantly, staring straight at the man with a raised brow. "It's in a To Go cup so you can get the hell out of here."

Kevin smirked as he plucked the lid from the cup. "Oh no," he said playfully. "I'm quite comfortable here." He blew a puff of steam into the man's face and took a careful sip. He winced slightly as the hot liquid slid down his throat and settled into his stomach. "Well, you suck as a criminal, but you make pretty good coffee." Kevin's smirk only grew as he saw Harry's jaw clench irritably. This was fun.

"We're closing," the man snarled.

"Nice try, but I saw the sign out front. You're open until nine. I've still got a good two hours of sitting here and annoying you."

Harry growled as he grabbed a rag and started wiping the counter down, though he had just wiped it down ten minutes prior to Kevin's arrival.

"So…"

"I said don't talk," Harry snapped.

"When did you get out of prison?" Kevin continued, ignoring his protest.

"Shut. Up."

"C'mon, I'm just making friendly conversation."

"I'd sooner take a blowtorch to the head."

"Seriously."

Harry rolled his eyes, sighing in defeat. "I got out a year ago on good behavior."

Kevin nodded, looking down into the still steaming beverage. "And Marv? Where'd he go? Or is he still in prison?"

Harry shook his head, turning his back completely to the younger male. "Dead."

Kevin raised his brows, surprised to hear this. "What happened?"

Harry bent down and pulled an unopened bag of coffee cups out from underneath the counter. "Lotta fights break out in prison. Marv got caught up in the middle of one in the rec yard, the idiot. He was never any good in a fight, and he didn't stand a chance against that guy. By the time they managed to pull the guy off 'im, he had already done too much damage. He died two days later from head trauma."

Kevin frowned as he lifted the cup to his lips to take another sip. He swallowed slowly. "Sorry."

"Why? You didn't kill him," Harry snapped, stacking the cups.

"I know, I just…I.." Kevin stumbled over his words, unsure of how to respond. Looking closely at the former bandit, he could see just the smallest hint of pain in his eyes, though he was futilely trying to mask it, which wasn't a surprise to him. But clearly he _had _cared about him, even if he had always pushed him around. He was probably the only friend he had. "When did it happen?"

"Two years before I was released." The man shook his head, smirking. "It's amazing…he could survive four bricks to the head, but he couldn't handle getting the crap beat out of him."

Kevin tapped his finger anxiously against his cup as he racked his brain for a new question, preferably one that didn't involve Marv. "When did you start working here?"

"What is this? Twenty Questions?"

Kevin sighed, turning his head towards the bathroom doors on the right.

"I started working here almost a year ago," Harry finally answered after a short pause. Kevin turned back to him.

"Forgive me, but…how exactly were you able to get this job?"

Harry snorted. "You think this was the first job I tried for? Forget about it. If I had a dollar for every job that turned me away, I wouldn't _need _to be working here. Getting a job ain't easy when you're an ex-con. Had I been a one time offender, I may have gotten some slack, but with all the robberies under my belt and my escaping from prison, it was just one turn away after another."

"So what was different about this place?"

Harry shrugged as he desperately tried to find something to busy himself with. "The guy who owns the place says he's real big on cutting people a break. I remember the day when I first walked into this place to ask for a job. I hadn't slept or bathed, so I wasn't a pretty sight when I stumbled through that door. I just looked the guy in the eye and told him he had no good reason give me this job, but I promised I'd work my ass off and never give him any lip. I think he finally took pity on me when I told him I wasn't livin' anywhere.

"What he did next _really _floored me. He pulled out his wallet and handed me thirty bucks, and then tells me to go buy myself something hot to eat."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"Yeah, he is. You don't expect that kind of generosity in anyone anymore, but that didn't mean he wasn't cautious 'bout me. During my shifts, he always made sure my co-worker Jason was working with me."

"Jason?"

"Not a guy to be messed with. He's a lot taller than I am and could probably flip a car if he had a mind to. If I even thought about swiping the cash in that register, I'd be on the floor in a second."

"So…where is he now?"

"After about six months, Carl came around to trusting me."

"Your boss?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know…that sounds kind of foolish."

"Yeah, maybe it is. But Carl is Carl. He does things his way and takes his chances. And I _swore _to him I wasn't going to do anything to make him regret hiring me. Sure, promising something doesn't really mean much, but it was all I could give him. And I meant it, too. I ain't going back to prison. Ain't no way in Hell I'm goin' back there."

Kevin suddenly looked amused. "You know, prison usually hardens people, but in your case, it looks as though it mellowed you out."

Harry found the broom and set to work at sweeping the floor. "You don't want to know the kind of folks that end up in prison, kid. You think I was bad? Please. I hung around with guys that made _me _wanna huddle in a corner. Baby rapers…serial killers…psychos…you name it. And they bragged about it, too. I remember one guy who went on and on about how he sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend, and then raped her eight-year-old daughter in the next room while the mother was bound and gagged."

Kevin winced. "Stop," he said desperately, shaking his head.

Harry shot a quick glance in the younger man's direction before returning his attention to the floor. "Yeah, I didn't like listenin' to it, either. Eventually I got tired of the guy yammering on and on, and I finally put his face in a wall. He didn't open his fat trap after that. But that's the kind of crap I had to listen to for nine years. It gets to ya after a while. I thought I would have learned to just tune it out, but I couldn't, and I don't ever wanna be surrounded by guys like that again. It's enough to make you wanna kill yourself, and I lost count of how many times I thought about doing just that. No amount of money is worth being stuck in that hell hole. And it's for that reason that your throat isn't in my hands right now."

Kevin took a moment to absorb those words. "Well…at least you can take pride in knowing you learned from the experience. Not too many people come out of prison a better person."

"Better person? Yeah, and not too many people would agree with you, kid. I got one two many crimes on my record, and people don't let you forget it, either."

Kevin glanced down at the counter as his mind drifted for a moment. He smiled faintly as the familiar image of a woman entered his mind, homely-looking in her attire and shoulders and head serving as perches for pigeons.

"You know…a good friend of mine once told me a good deed erases a bad one."

Harry halted his actions, resting the palm of his hand on the top of the broomstick as he eyed the blond with a scrutinizing gaze. "Oh yeah? If a guy murders a family, and then helps a little ol' lady across the street, is he forgiven of his crime?"

The younger man's face instantly fell. "Well…_no_. I'm talking more along the lines of smaller offenses…Wait, are you equating yourself with a murderer? You never killed anyone."

The man smirked. "I almost killed you, remember?"

Kevin shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. "Ah, that's no big deal. I did sort of give you a hard time," he replied, returning the smirk. "I would have wanted to kill me, too." Kevin lifted his cup to his lips and took another long sip. Setting the cup down, he looked at the elder man sympathetically. "Look, you're right, not too many people are going to look at you as anything other than a criminal, regardless of whether or not you did your time and no longer cause trouble. It sucks, but that's the way it is. But not everyone's like that. The fact that you're in this coffee shop, earning honest money is proof of that."

Harry simply stared at the young man for a long moment before setting the broom aside, and then walking over to the cash register. "That's gonna be a dollar fifty," he said curtly.

Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, slipping out a five. He slid it across the counter, smiling. "Keep the change."

Harry glanced at the blond out of the corner of his eye before punching a few buttons on the register, and then opening the container to slip the bill inside. Kevin began redressing himself in his winter garb. "Well…I better get goin'. My homework's not gonna do itself."

Sliding off the stool, Kevin grabbed his half-drunk cup of coffee and made his way for the door. "See ya," he said on his way out, nodding over his shoulder at the man, who stood silently as he watched him leave.

"What the hell?" he finally said after a long pause.

* * *

**Author's Note: **My first fanfic of the year! This story turned out to be nearly 3 times the length I originally thought it was going to be. I don't like overwhelming readers with insanely long chapters, so the story has been split into three parts.

Hope you enjoy.


	2. Part II: Wet Bandits 101

PART II:  
**Wet Bandits 101**

Harry handed off a tall cup of coffee to a short elderly woman, along with her change. He glanced behind him at the clock on the wall and sighed, noticing he still had two and a half until his shift was over. While he was grateful for the job, there were always those days when he just was _not _in the mood. He could only be grateful that it wasn't a Monday morning. A Monday morning at a coffee shop was like Friday nights at a movie theater.

Seeing that there were no customers currently in the shop, Harry figured he would take his break, which really wasn't a possibility when there wasn't another employee working the shift with him, but since there were no customers to serve, he knew it wasn't going to hurt for him to take his coffee break. But that plan quickly went south when he noticed a certain someone walking up the sidewalk, towards the shop.

"Oh, come on," he growled as the young man stepped into the shop.

"What?" he asked innocently, pulling off his scarf.

"Geez, kid, don't you have some homework to do…or a zit to pop?"

Kevin chortled as he took his same seat at the counter he had two days prior. "Coffee gives me the boost I need, and this _is _a coffee shop, therefore, here I am."

"Yeah, and it's one of dozens. You just came to this one because you enjoy harassing me."

"Well, that _is _one of the perks of coming here."

"It's Saturday afternoon. Why are you even here?"

"Why? Do you guys not serve coffee on a Saturday afternoon?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?"

"My parents are in the process of remodeling one of the bedrooms in their house. I told them I'd be over there by three o' clock to help them out. I'll be heading over there as soon as I leave here. This was just on the way."

Harry glanced at the clock again. "Well, I'm sure they won't mind you being there a couple hours early," he said, nodding to the exit.

"Nope," Kevin quipped, pulling off his gloves. "You're stuck with me."

The older man glared. "Yeah, I can't seem to get away from ya. I'm like a walking glue trap, and you just keep flying into me."

Kevin smirked, resting his elbows on the counters. "Just give me a regular. Two creams-"

"Two sugars, yeah, I remember," Harry mumbled irritably as he snatched a cup from the stack of mediums. After handing off the coffee to the blond, he started making his own cup, which he preferred black, though not too strong. "I was getting ready to go on break before you walked in," he said as he fetched a newspaper he had bought earlier.

Kevin shrugged, blowing on the steaming liquid. "Go right ahead. I've got everything I need."

Harry came out from behind the counter and walked over to one of the many tables lining the wall of the shop. As he started to unfold his paper, he noticed the blond take a seat at the other end of the little table. "Shoo, fly," he growled as he swatted at the younger man's head with the paper.

"Hey, c'mon," he replied as he batted the newspaper away. "I haven't even begun to annoy you yet."

"Kid, you just being _alive _is enough to annoy me. Go stand in heavy traffic, and _then _I can probably tolerate you."

"Aren't we in a chipper mood."

Harry shook his head as he snapped the newspaper open in front of him, blocking the young man from his view, though he knew he was still sitting there, grinning at him through the newsprint. He read the same sentence at least ten times, unable to actually focus his attention on the article while knowing that kid was sitting there, watching his every move. He roughly closed the paper and slammed it down on the table, glaring daggers at the twenty-year-old.

"What?" he said, straining to keep from laughing. "I didn't say anything."

Harry propped his elbow on the table and rested his face against his hand, reaching over with his free hand to grab his coffee. Kevin managed to catch a quick glimpse of the 'M' that was still branded into the former bandit's palm. "I'm just curious…did anyone in prison ever ask about that?"

"About what?" Harry snapped.

"That," Kevin replied, pointing at his hand. Harry pulled his head away from his hand to look at his scarred palm. He shot the blond a more sinister glare, and then took a long sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, lots of times."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told 'em I used to be in some kinda gang or something…and this was part of the initiation. I think that scared 'em because I noticed sexual advances seemed to drop after that."

Kevin laughed loudly, but then he quickly went silent, brows furrowing. "Wait, was that a joke?"

Harry only stared at the blond.

"Umm…never mind," he said as he grabbed his coffee and took quick, intermittent sips.

"Now I gotta question for _you_."

Kevin raised his brows to show that he was listening.

"What the hell were you doing home by yourself that year we tried to ransack the place? I've always wanted to know."

Kevin laughed, sitting his cup down. "Kinda funny, actually."

"Yeah, not for me, kid," the former bandit growled as he flashed his branded hand to the younger male.

"Well, we were all getting ready to go out of town, and the whole family was over. The place was packed, and so obviously the stress was there. My brother was being a dick, and I lashed out at him. We kind of made a mess in the kitchen and, naturally, everyone's mad at _me. _So my mom starts to drag me upstairs. That was actually when you and I first met."

Harry's brows knitted together in thought as he tried to conjure up the eleven-year-old memory. He suddenly smirked. "Yeah, _now _I remember. That house was nuts."

"Tell me about it," Kevin replied, sighing irritably at the memory. "Anyway, my mom ended up sending me to the third floor for the rest of the night, and it was at that point I said some things I shouldn't have."

"What? That you hoped you never saw the family again?"

"Bingo."

Harry shrugged. "Every kid says that. It's practically a law."

Kevin grinned. "Well, maybe. But when I woke up the next morning, they were gone. Now obviously I know what actually happened, but at that moment, I actually thought there was some kind of supernatural thing at work. You know, like in that Jim Carrey movie where the son wishes his dad can't tell a lie. I actually thought I had made my family disappear."

"And was it the party you thought it'd be?"

"At first, yeah, but after a while I started missing them, especially when _you_ yo-yos showed up."

"Well, how do you think the whole 'Careful what you wish for' saying got started?"

"Well, I know that _now." _The young man chuckled suddenly."My mom told me how she harassed people at the airports, haggled for plane tickets, and then ultimately ended up hitching a ride home with a bunch of strangers." The blond then sighed, the moment he woke up and discovered his family was gone still fresh in his memory. "I know it was an accident and everything, but I don't think I ever quite got over it. I mean…to be left behind by your family…it kinda gets to you. I always had this fear in the back of my mind that they did it on purpose. It really messes with your head."

"Oh, boo hoo," Harry snapped, rolling his eyes. "Cry me a river, kid. And then while you're at it, hop in a boat and drift away."

The man grabbed his paper and coffee and started making his way back behind the counter to continue his shift. Frowning, Kevin followed after him, returning to his seat at the counter. "I'd say you should thank your lucky stars. Your folks might have made a mistake, but it sounds like they damn near killed themselves trying to fix it. Trust me, I've got you beat."

"Oh? Did your parents ever go out of town and forget all about you?"

Harry laughed. "Seriously? You think that's the worst thing a parent could possibly do? Give me a break. You of all people can't be that ignorant."

Kevin folded his arms on top of the counter. "So what's _your _story?"

Harry clenched his teeth, instantly regretting even bringing up the subject. He waved a hand. "No, look…just forget about it. Trust me, you don't want to hear it."

"No, I do."

The elder man sighed, shaking his head. "I'm telling ya, kid…you ain't gonna like what you hear. Best to just drop it."

"I can handle it."

After a moment's hesitation, the man finally conceded. "All right, well…it was mostly just my dad. He had a naturally short fuse, and he came to develop an alcohol problem. Not a good combination. Even before it got real bad, he'd hit me occasionally, but I just thought that was normal. Well, hell, it _was _normal. Parents could damn near beat their kids to death back then, and no one would bat an eye. Now if a parent so much as pops their kid on the ass, they get thrown in jail." Harry turned away when he caught the blond's eye, not comfortable with the look he was receiving. "Anyway…all I really remember about my parents is that they fought…a lot, and it was usually about money, which we didn't have a lot of. I don't think I can remember one time when they showed any sort of affection towards each other. If they ever did, then I was too young to remember.

"Things didn't get really bad until after my dad got fired from his job. That's when the alcohol became a problem. It eventually got to the point where my mom was too terrified to say anything to him because anything she said always caused him to lash out. I remember one incident where I said something that he didn't like an' he went off on me. I have no idea what it was I said that pissed him off, but he made his anger known to me with his belt. Kids usually got hit with belts back then, but in my case, he got me so bad I couldn't even go to school the next day."

"And…your mom didn't _do_ anything?" Kevin asked, sounding shocked.

"I told you, she was too scared of him."

"Well, yeah, but…God, if it was me, my mom would rip the guy's heart out of his chest."

"Well…I know she regretted not doing anything. She came into my room that night and talked to me about it. She told me it wasn't going to be like that anymore. She was vague with her words, so I didn't know what it was she was promising me, but I finally figured it out a few days later. I was up in my room, trying to do my homework when I heard my folks start arguing again, which at first I just tried tuning out, but it just kept getting worse and worse, and so I knew this wasn't some typical, run-of-the-mill argument over money. I was about halfway down the stairs when I heard a gun go off. When I finally came into the living room, I saw my dad standing there with the gun, and my mom's on the floor. We caught each other's eye for a minute, and he gave me this weird look that I'll never forget. Finally, he just put the gun to his head and blew his brains out all over the living room. I think a full two hours went by before I finally had enough sense to call the cops.

"I'm pretty sure my mom had it in her mind that we were going to leave my dad. And I'm guessing that's what the argument was about. Clearly, that was just too much for him, and he lost it. I don't know when he got that gun. I never even knew he had it. I have a feeling he was already planning on killing himself, and then things just got out of hand." Harry paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "You hear about this kind of stuff all the time. Bad economy…money problems…a guy loses his job…and he just loses it, and in some unfortunate cases, he takes his whole family down with 'im, kids and all."

Harry allowed himself to catch the younger man's gaze again, and he smirked coldly when he took in his expression. "Told ya I had ya beat."

Kevin shook his head, trying to shake off his momentary shock. "Geez, you talk about it like it's no big deal."

"Well, what'd ya want me to do, huh? Break down and cry? It happened nearly fifty years ago. You eventually have to get past stuff like that, or you'll go insane! I was-"

Harry went silent and composed himself when he heard the jingling of bells against the door. He turned his attention away from Kevin and quickly went to serve the customer who had just entered, while the blond sat by silently, losing himself in his thoughts. For a moment he tried to picture himself in that situation, with an abusive father who lost himself in alcohol, and then ultimately losing both his parents as a result of one's own misguidance and pain. The thought nauseated him. He had no right to complain, he knew that now, and he instantly regretted every instance he ever shot his mouth off to his parents.

Kevin jerked out of his trance when he heard fingers snapping loudly by his ear. "Anybody home?" Harry teased, waving a hand in front of the young man's face.

"Sorry."

Harry fetched a wrapper of coins and quickly busied himself with filling the register with the change. "I didn't freak you out too much, did I?" he asked dryly, jiggling the wrapper and forcing the coins to topple into the slots.

"No," Kevin replied softly, still looking elsewhere.

"You've got a lot to be grateful for, kid. The life of an only child ain't all it's cracked up to be, okay? Your family might get on your nerves, but at least you can wake up every day knowing that you've got one. There are some things that are a lot worse than an annoying older brother, or parents who may be a little inattentive sometimes. You remember that," Harry said firmly.

Kevin could only nod, feeling somewhat ashamed that this lesson still hadn't quite sunk in. Even after being left home alone that Christmas, he ended up repeating his mistakes a year later, and even now at twenty years old, he still didn't feel like he had learned his lesson, and Harry certainly wasn't the first to tell him these things.

"What happened after that?"

"You mean where did I go?"

Kevin nodded.

"Well, I didn't have any aunts or uncles, and all my grandparents were dead**, **so I ended up getting shuffled off to an orphanage. To me, that was like prison for children. It wasn't a very friendly environment, I remember that much. I remember a bunch of kids actually started a rumor that I had been the one who killed my parents, which freaked a lot of the younger kids out. Every time I came near 'em, they'd run off. Except Marv."

"You knew Marv that far back?"

Harry nodded. "I was almost seventeen when he came to the orphanage, he was just six…and the scrawniest little runt I had ever seen. I know he had to 'ave heard those stupid rumors, but he never stopped hanging around me. I guess he sort of viewed me as his bodyguard. He got bullied around a lot and I always ended up being his stupid white knight. It really got annoying after a while. The kid was like something stuck to the bottom of your shoe that you just couldn't shake off.

"I left the orphanage when I was eighteen, an' we didn't see each other again for twenty-five years. Believe it or not, we happened to cross paths in a coffee shop just like this one. We started meeting back there every week, and after that we were hanging out constantly. Every time I saw 'im, he was always wearing jewelry or articles of clothing that just clashed with everything else he was wearing. Finally, when I saw him wearing a Rolex, I knew something was up, and I made 'im spill his guts. Just as I thought, he had been knocking off houses, and he had been doing it for a while. He had even gotten a van and doctored it up to look like it came from a plumbing business. Now he wasn't always the brightest guy, but every once in a while, his genius would show, and when it did, it blinded you, but a bulb always burns brightest before it goes out, and for every time he did something smart, he did something equally stupid…like leaving the water running in every house we hit.

"Trust me, he was worse off than I ever was. He had absolutely no self control, and believe it or not, when we first started our crime spree, he was the more take charge one, and I was just sort of following along."

"I find that kind of hard to believe."

"Well, believe it, kid. I was a total pussy starting out. I really didn't want any part of what he was doing, but he kept insisting that I go with 'im to knock off a couple of houses. I still remember the very first house I ever went in, and I'm amazed I didn't drop dead of a heart attack. I kept jumping at every little noise, and I was always looking out the window every three seconds to see if anyone was comin'. But Marv was just having the time of his life. He reminded me of a twelve-year-old boy who just found his father's Playboy.

"I remember goin' through the drawers in the master bedroom and finding a hundred dollar bill at the bottom of the drawer, which I ultimately ended up pocketing. I was always struggling to pay my rent, and I was never left with much after I bought a week's worth of groceries. Seeing that hundred dollar bill…well, would _you _have been able to resist the temptation if you were in that position?"

"I honestly don't know. I may have done the same thing." Kevin couldn't help but think back to when he swiped all of Buzz's life savings, which Buzz didn't let him hear the end of for several years.

"Well, that was all I was ever interested in. I didn't care about the jewelry, or the TVs, or any of that stuff. All I ever looked for was money. I checked in drawers, under mattresses, boxes on top of the fridge, anywhere I could think. I even swiped a twenty out of a little girl's bedroom, which I'm assuming was probably birthday money. Now _that _one I went to bed feelin' guilty about.

"For Marv, it was fun and games, but for me, it was about staying on my feet. But eventually, it became a game for me, too. Slowly, it became less and less about me making sure I had money to pay the rent and more about the thrill of doing something you know you aren't supposed to and seeing just how far you can take it. It slowly became an addiction, and it got to the point where all I ever wanted to do was knock off houses. And I'll tell ya something else, I especially got a kick outta robbing houses at Christmas time."

Kevin snorted. "Yeah, I guess you would have."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "What does that mean? Look, I wasn't just some Grinch, okay? I just can't stand Christmas."

"Oh, yeah, you're right, hating Christmas doesn't make you a Grinch. Not at all," Kevin retorted, tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Okay, okay, I'll rephrase. I hate it, but not just for the sake of being a dick, okay? That better?"

"Why? What's to hate about it? It's a great holiday. It teaches great values that people should really uphold year round."

"Bull," Harry snapped. "People've gotten too cynical…too jaded. Christmas ain't what it used to be. No longer do people stay at home with their families anymore. Now they're runnin' off to go on some expensive vacation, or wasting thousands of dollars on expensive crap that people don't even need. Any kind of meaning Christmas once had has been completely drained. There ain't nothing left but greed and avarice."

"Wow, really?" Kevin replied, almost chuckling. "You robbed a toy store, for crying out loud. You were going to steal money from kids. _Sick _kids. And you're going to stand there and talk about greed and avarice as though you're the pinnacle of perfect morality? _Really_?"

Harry sighed. "Boy, you just couldn't wait to jump on _that one_, could ya? All right, granted," he said, holding up a hand in acceptance of his mistake. "But that doesn't make what I say any less true, now does it?"

Kevin drummed his fingers against the counter, biting his bottom lip. Shrugging, he finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah. Christmas _has _become too commercialized. Heck, all holidays have. But just because some people don't get it doesn't mean you still can't enjoy it.

"Well, anyway…getting back on track…I was messed up back then. Simple as that. Robbing houses was like a drug, and I was addicted to it. Soon I was the one calling all the shots, and Marv was the one along for the ride. And then…four years later…we met our match," he finished as he glared at Kevin, who couldn't resist a cocky grin.

Harry rested an arm on the counter. "So, there you go, Wet Bandits 101. You know pretty much all there is to know."

"Well, great. Is there going to be a test?"

"Yeah, wise ass, and if I catch ya cheatin', I'll smack ya in the face with a paint can."

Kevin smiled the best he could as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "I need to hit it," he said as he opened his wallet to pay.

"Good, scram," Harry quipped half-heartedly as he took the dollar and two quarters from the blond. Kevin dressed himself and grabbed his coffee, shoving his free hand in his pocket as he braced himself against the brutal temperatures just outside the glass door. He pushed against the door with his hip and winced as the frigid air smacked him in the face mercilessly.

He made it about halfway down the sidewalk before slowly coming to a complete halt. Harry's words still haunted him, and they left him unable to think of anything else other than his own family and how much he took them for granted and wasn't nearly as grateful for them as he should have been.

Small snow flurries began to descend from the sky, the beginning stages of a heavy snowfall in the making. Kevin stared at the concrete beneath his feet for the longest time before finally fishing for his cell phone with his free hand. He hit the speed dial for his parents' home phone number and slowly placed the phone to his ear, hearing the ring tone twice before then hearing his mother's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Mom," the blond said softly, straining to hear his mother's voice through the sound of the bustling traffic. "Listen, Mom…I was just calling to….tell you that I love you. Yeah…No, I'm all right…Yes, Mom, I'm fine…I promise you, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to tell you I love you…Yes, Mom! I'm fine, okay? And I'm coming over for dinner tomorrow night. That's a promise…Yeah, I'm on my over to help right now...Yeah. Listen, put Dad on the phone…I'm _fine_, Mom!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews and faves, guys! I wish I could have gotten a bit more feedback, but I knew not to expect much since this fandom is next to non-existent, which I think is a shame.

**-Please Note-**

Harry's comments regarding the subject of Christmas were pulled from a deleted scene called "Criminal Decency", which is shown on the Home Alone Family Fun Edition DVD. Harry claims that he despises Christmas, but not because he's just some Scrooge, but because he sees it for the lie that it is and how corrupt it has become. I really liked the scene, as it showed an admirable and wise side to Harry's character, and I fear that may be the very reason they cut the scene from the movie. I get the feeling the scene was cut as a result of the typical, black and white attitude that bad guys are going to be bad guys, and good guys are going to be good guys no matter what, and Harry's words, while true, were just coming from the 'wrong' person. It may have not been the film crew's view and instead they may have just feared that that was how the audience would have responded when watching the scene, and so they ultimately decided to drop it.

Obviously, some scenes are going to need to be cut, as a movie has to flow, and some scenes can clutter it up and saturate the meaning of the entire film, but this was a scene I felt spoke a harsh truth and should have been included. The fact that the words came from a criminal just made it all the more effective. It almost made you want to cheer them on while tearing people's houses apart XD


	3. Part III: Resolution

PART III:  
**Resolution**

With each trip he took to the coffee shop, Kevin had pretty much learned Harry's work schedule. The shop was closed on Sundays, and the former bandit had Tuesdays off. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, he worked the evening shift, while on Saturdays and Mondays, he worked early in the morning. Harry had in turn learned Kevin's routine as well. The young man had classes three days out of the week, and he also had a part time job, which he worked in the evenings. Thursday was his day off, so that was typically the day he came to the coffee shop, and it was usually around seven in the evening.

And this Thursday was no different.

"Right on time," Harry drawled as he noticed the blond making his way up the street, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't even wait for the twenty-year-old to come inside the shop before he started preparing his coffee the way he liked it. He lifted his gaze when he heard the door open. "I'm just curious," he started, dropping his eyes back to the still pouring black liquid, "is your coffee maker busted or something?"

Kevin rolled his eyes, approaching the counter. "Are you going to question why I come here every time? I like the coffee!"

Once stirred to perfection, Harry pushed the cup across the counter to the blond's outstretched hand.

"I'm still just trying to figure out why you take an interest in talking to me of all people. I would think you'd have ran away screaming the second you saw me."

"At ten, I would have."

"Seriously, why do you wanna hang around me? You don't have any friends your own age to hang out with?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not many. I've always connected better with people much older than me than I ever did people my own age."

Harry furrowed his brows, frowning deeply. "Yeah, that reminds me, I left my cane at my apartment," he replied sarcastically. "You wouldn't mind helping me across the street after work, would you?"

Kevin bit his lip to restrain his laughter. "I wasn't trying to call you old, all right?" he said, his words trembling with laughter.

Harry shrugged off the comment. "Doesn't matter. I _am _old."

"Anyway…I know it doesn't make sense, but that's the way I've always been. I'm just able to open up better with older people, with the exception of my family, of course. I guess part of it is the stranger factor. Sometimes you're able to open up more to people you don't know. Strangers are sometimes less critical."

"But you and me are hardly strangers, kid."

"Yeah, we kind of are. When I first walked into this shop, I knew nothing about you, other than the fact that I caused you a lot of bodily harm, and you knew nothing of me. The thing is…when I talk to someone much older than me…I kind of take it as a learning experience. They've seen more of the world than I have, and I always hope to take something from talking to them…_learn _something."

Harry sneered at this. "And just what are you going to learn from me, kid?"

The blond appeared thoughtful for a moment before replying, "To keep my heart and mind open. If you can do it, I can."

Harry snorted, shaking his head as he turned away. "That's so sweet I'm gonna need to see a dentist."

Kevin suddenly caught a glance at the man's right hand, noticing a gold band on his finger. "Were you married?"

"What?" Harry looked back at the blond, thrown off by the sudden change of subject. Kevin nodded at the man's hand, and he looked down, his expression changing dramatically. He stroked the band with his thumb, nodding twice. "Yeah…years ago." Kevin waited momentarily, expecting the man to continue. When he didn't, he pressed him for more details.

"Did you get divorced or something?"

Harry shot the blond a look that seemed to ask the question, 'Don't you ever shut the hell up?' "No…we didn't get divorced. Would I still be wearing the ring if we did?" he quipped irritably.

The young McCallister pursed his lips, gaze averting back to his coffee. "What was her name?"

Harry paused but only briefly. "Sarah."

Kevin awkwardly ran a thumb around the rim of his cup, feeling like he had taken a step too far. He decided to leave the conversation at that, already detecting he was starting to trespass into more personal territory, but the former bandit surprised him when he continued:

"I met her when I was twenty-six. We met in a grocery store and just started yapping for the longest time. It was one of those falling in love without even trying type romances. That's the way it _should _be. People anymore try to force the romance, thinking their lives aren't gonna be complete unless they get married. I never once thought about marriage before I met 'er, and even after I met 'er, marriage still never crossed my mind. I was pretty much a loner before we met, and I thought that's how I preferred to be, but suffice to say, she gave me a new outlook on life.

"We dated for about a year, two months of that year spent livin' together, and then we got married. Our lives were all set."

"So…what happened?"

"It happened in January, 1971. I had the worst head cold imaginable. I had already been in bed for two days, and I wasn't getting any better. Sarah kept insisting that she go to the drugstore and get something, but I didn't want her to set foot outside. We had had a lot of bad weather and the roads were murder. She insisted that she go and I insisted that she stay. She was always as stubborn as a mule, which normally I liked about her, but this was one case where I wished she had just listened to me. Her reasoning was that the weather was only going to get worse and we needed groceries to get us through the week anyway. She was right, of course, but I told her I would go instead, but she was under this impression that because I was sick, I was completely helpless," Harry said with a laugh, shaking his head. "All I could do was tell her to be extremely careful."

Kevin could no longer hold the man's gaze, opting to instead stare down at his hands, already knowing where this story was going. A part of him almost wanted to stop him from going any further, but he didn't dare open his mouth to protest. Though he dreaded the somber conclusion he _knew _the story was about to reach, he could tell that Harry was normally not an individual who bestowed such personal and emotional information about himself to anyone, much less someone he had more than enough reason to hate. Kevin couldn't help but feel somewhat _honored _that the man had opened up to him of all people. He had to return that respect by hearing every last word, no matter how depressing every last word may be.

"I think I dozed off for about an hour or two. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but I was exhausted. When I woke up and saw what time it was, I went into the kitchen to see if she had come home yet…and she hadn't. There were plenty of reasonable explanations I could have written off before finally settling on the worst case scenario, but I just knew. I don't know how I knew…I just did. It wasn't long after I woke up that I heard a knock on the door. When I saw those two policemen standing there, that clenched it. They didn't even have to say anything; it was written all over their face.

"I can just barely remember grabbing the doorknob for support, and then just falling to the floor. When I finally came around, I was on the couch, and the cops kept talkin' to me, but I didn't hear none of it. It was like I had just been caught up in this huge explosion, and all I could hear was this constant ringing. I finally managed to get enough sense back for them to tell me what had actually happened. Her car slid right through an intersection, and a truck slammed into her on the driver's side…She was dead at the scene."

A long silence fell upon the shop. Even the traffic outside didn't seem as loud anymore. It was quite unnerving.

"She was two months pregnant."

Kevin's head shot up, and he looked towards the man, but he was looking elsewhere at that point. He wanted to say something, that he was sorry, anything, but that just seemed so cliché and hallow.

"It's amazing how fast things can change. You think you know where you're going, and then in an instant, life can take such a dramatic, fast turn that you think your neck might snap. I don't know where I'd be right now if that day had been different. Needless to say, you and I probably never would've met. I might have even been a grandfather by this point," Harry chuckled. "Before that day, I knew where I was going, where _we _were going. We were just getting ready to buy a house in this little neighborhood just outside of Chicago. Then after everything that happened, I didn't know what to do with myself. For about three weeks, I was just in shock, and this might sound weird, but that was actually the period when it was the easiest. When you finally process everything that's happened, it's all you can do to get out of bed in the morning.

"I don't have much left of her. She had a big family, so they got a lot of her possessions. I only have a few pieces of jewelry, and a few photos, including the wallet-size that she gave me when we started dating."

"Can I see it?"

Harry sighed, reaching behind him into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. He dug through the cluttered mess before finally locating the photo, sliding it across the counter to the blond. The image was quite faded, and its edges were torn, which was not a surprise for its age, but Kevin could still clearly make out every detail of the woman in the photo: she had a very angular face, with dark eyes and equally dark, curly hair that reached to her shoulders. A lovely woman, no question. "She's pretty," said Kevin. "She kind of reminds me of my cousin, Heather."

Kevin slid the photo back across the counter to Harry's awaiting hand. He stared at the photo longingly for a few moments before slipping it back into his wallet. "I need to visit her grave. I haven't been out there in fifteen years. I ain't rotting in prison anymore, so it's not like I got an excuse."

There was a brief pause before Kevin asked, "How long was it after Sarah died that you met Marv again?"

Harry thought for a moment before answering, "Fifteen years."

"And…what did you do during that time?"

"Nothing. I barricaded myself from the rest of the world. The only time I talked to people was when I went to work every day. Then I'd come home and stay there. I hardly ever left my apartment for anything else. I didn't want anything to do with anyone."

"You didn't even stay in contact with Sarah's family?"

Harry laughed coldly. "They hated me. They detested every moment that we were together. She came from a pretty successful family; her father was a doctor, and her brother was a lawyer. The point is, they had money, and I didn't. They had the proper education, and I didn't, so that made me pretty worthless in their eyes. I understand a family that is protective of their child, but they were just downright vicious. Her father almost didn't attend our wedding. And at Sarah's funeral…I actually overheard her brother say he wished it had been me in that car."

Kevin wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Geez, they _do _sound like the in-laws from Hell."

"Thing is…I agreed with 'im. I _should _have been the one in that car. She had a lot more to live for than I did. When she died, the world lost, but if _I _had died, the world would have gained."

"You shouldn't talk like that," Kevin protested firmly.

"Well, it's true," Harry replied with a shrug.

"I understand why you may feel that way, but that doesn't make what he said any less callous. Clearly, he was a douche."

"Yeah, he _was _a douche. Sarah usually had to keep a firm grip on my arm whenever we were in his presence because it was all I could do to keep from knocking his teeth out half the time. The only person in her family that ever showed me any respect was her sister, Nancy. We actually _did _stay in touch for about a year after Sarah was killed, but the phone calls eventually became few and far between, until they finally stopped altogether, and that was mostly on my part. After all that, I just wanted to be left alone."

"Sounds depressing."

Harry shrugged. "I _was _depressed. I drifted in and out of serious depressions for the first five years after her death. I didn't know how else to deal with it, so I just cut off all contact with people."

Kevin looked curiously at the man before asking, "Have you ever thought of having another family, though?"

Harry shot the blond an odd look. "What, are you kidding? Me have kids? I'm fifty-eight, kid. I'm too old."

"What are you talking about? Men can have kids all the way into their sixties."

"That ain't what I mean. I just really don't wanna hafta haul an oxygen tank around with me at my kid's high school graduation. I don't wanna worry about fallin' down and breaking my hip while playing catch with my son…or while chasing down my daughter's first boyfriend after catching them groping on the couch."

Kevin laughed, finishing off the last of his coffee. "Well…you could still get remarried."

Harry frowned, returning his attention to the gold band on his finger. "Not so sure about that. It's kind of a scary thought. When you've only loved one person in your entire lifetime, the thought of ever being able to love another person the same way again…just doesn't seem possible."

"Well, you never know unless you give it a chance."

Harry chewed on the inside of his cheek, shaking his head. "Yeah…well…like I said, I don't like forced romance, kid. I'm not gonna go out there _looking _for someone. Best to just let the chips fall where they may."

Kevin frowned. "But as long as you wear that ring, you're sort of crippling those chances."

Harry looked down at his hand, rotating the gold band around with his thumb. "Look," he began irritably, letting his hand fall atop the counter, "it's my business, not yours, all right? I'll do things the way I want to."

"All right, take it easy," Kevin replied, holding up his hands in defense. He gently tapped the counter with his index finger, staring at the older man out of the corner of his eye. "Okay…so I don't know what it's like, but I get it. You feel like if you take the ring off, it'll be like you're erasing her from your life."

"You're somewhere in the ballpark, but it's more a fear of insulting her memory."

"Well…I can't tell you what to do, especially since I've never been in love before. I don't know what it feels like."

"You'll know it when it happens, because you won't know what to do with yourself."

Kevin propped his elbow on the counter and leaned his head against his hand, his thoughts drifting momentarily. Harry caught the look on the younger man's face and smirked.

"Judging by that goofy look on your face, I'd say there's already someone you're interested in."

"Well…kind of."

"Kind of? Either you like 'er, or you don't, so which is it?"

Kevin sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the cushioned bar stool. "Well, I've actually known her since we were kids. She lives pretty close to where I do, or from where I _did _live, rather. Her grandfather was the one who introduced us." Kevin didn't bother to reveal the fact that Harry and her grandfather had actually met briefly, via shovel to the face.

"Pimped by Grandpa? Never heard that one before."

Kevin hid his face in his hand, rolling his eyes behind the cover of his palm. "Classy."

"This girl got a name?"

"Her name's Anna. We went to elementary, middle _and _high school together, but it never became a romantic thing. She had boyfriends all throughout high school, and some of them weren't the most trusting, either. We hugged one day in the hall, and her boyfriend threw me up against the lockers." Kevin laughed at the memory. "I didn't feel safe being within three feet of her."

"And you're not interested in her?"

"I don't know. It's not like I haven't thought about it."

"If you've thought about it, then you're interested. Case closed."

"Fine, whatever. But I've never approached her about the idea of a romantic relationship. She's sort of distanced herself from me since her grandfather passed away four months ago."

Harry looked a bit thrown off. "I would think that'd be even more reason to stay close to you."

"Well, for some people, sure, but it was just really hard for her, and she wanted to have some time alone to process it. I think you know how that feels. But I told her she could talk to me anytime she needed to."

"I think it's time you start pushing her to talk instead of just waiting around for an invite."

Kevin looked extremely put off by the thought, shaking his head firmly. "I don't want to upset her."

"Women can be hard to read sometimes. Sometimes they need to know that you'll be there because you chose to be there, not just when they tell you to be there. Sometimes they say one thing and mean another. Sometimes when they say for you to stay away, they really want you to come closer."

"Yeah…and sometimes when they tell you to leave them alone, they really want you to leave them alone," Kevin retorted.

"Well, didn't I say they were hard to read? Just think of it like walking on ice. The ice might break, it might not, you never know. Just move forward and hope you don't get wet. Hopefully, you'll make it to the other side without a problem, and if you fall through, get the hell out of there as soon as possible."

As he mulled over the man's words, Kevin stared down into his empty coffee cup, frowning. He reached his cup over to the elder man. "Hit me again," he said, smiling. He nodded to the restroom before adding, "I need to make room for more."

Harry snorted. "You sure you want to leave me unsupervised while I make it? I could easily poison it, ya know, and don't think I haven't fantasized about it."

"Eh…I'll take my chances."

Kevin slid off his stool and made his way into the men's room, leaving the older man alone. He turned to the back counter to refill the cup. Just moments after he started preparing the coffee, he heard the bells jingle against the door, signaling the arrival of a new customer, or who he presumed was a customer.

"What's it gonna be, buddy?" he asked, his back still turned to the customer. Just as he started to reach for the cream, he heard a clicking sound that was all too familiar to him. Turning sharply, he found himself staring down into the barrel of a gun.

"It's gonna be your life if you don't do as I say," a tall man dressed in a black-hooded sweatshirt snapped as he tossed a bag onto the counter. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to see if anyone had seen him while walking by on the street. "You know what to do," he added, nodding to the bag. Still pointing the gun at Harry, the man slowly moved back, edging toward the closest window. He gripped the cord and pulled, letting the blinds drop to the windowsill.

"Geez," Harry sighed, almost sounding amused. "If this ain't ironic..."

"Shut up and fill the bag," the assailant replied as he went to drop the rest of the blinds, hindering any passerby's view the best he could. He approached the counter again, gun still pointed and ready.

Looking more annoyed than threatened, Harry reached over and took the bag. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, pal."

"Save it," the crook replied, giving just the tiniest squeeze of the trigger. Harry shook his head, mashing the button to open the register.

"Look, I was robbing houses when you were in diapers, buddy. Take it from someone who's been down this road already. You're just gonna hit a dead end. Trust me. I had to rot for nine years before that lesson finally bitch slapped me in the face."

"God, is this the part where you tell me you found Jesus and that he loves me, and I should just get down on my knees right now and repent?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hell no. This is the part where I tell you you're just going to run every day, always looking over your shoulder, always having to worry about where you're going, until finally the cops catch up with ya…and they _will _catch up with ya. Mark my words, pal, they'll get ya, even if it's five years from now, and those five years until they get ya will be a living hell, and then once you _do _get caught, that's when the real torture begins. It's no bike ride in the park, okay?"

At that moment, unknown to Harry, Kevin had just started making his way out of the restroom, but upon seeing the armed man at the counter, he quickly pulled himself back inside, closing the door just enough so that he was hidden but could still witness the events through the thin gap.

"Fill the Goddamn bag!"

Eyes narrowing, Harry set to work at removing the money from the register and dropping it into the bag. "Last chance, pal. If you leave now, I won't call the cops. I'll forget this whole thing happened."

The crook rolled his eyes, becoming fed up with this man's persistence. "God, did you leave your hearing aid at home or something? I said shut up and give me the money! Is that so difficult?"

"Hey, I'm fillin' the bag, aren't I, jackass?" Harry shouted back. Kevin winced. He knew Harry had a temper, but this wasn't the time to be showing it off.

"Not fast enough!" The hooded man glanced over his shoulder again, watching for any sign of patrolling police, or anyone who may have noticed him through the door, the only thing that offered a clear view of the inside of the shop. At that same moment, Harry glanced towards the bathroom door, briefly catching Kevin's eye. He gave him a stern look and shook his head, warning him to stay put. The blond nodded once, though a small part of him was itching to grab the nearest chair and strike the assailant over the head, but from where he was positioned, there was no way he could make a move to subdue the man without being seen.

"I'm telling ya, pal, you're gonna regret this. Believe me. Maybe you can't pay your bills, or you owe a bunch of money to a credit card company, or something, but this ain't gonna get ya nowhere. This'll just end up being that one moment you wish you could go back and do differently, an' then you'll spend the rest of your life hating yourself."

The assailant thrust the gun forward, pressing it against Harry's temple. "If you don't shut the hell up, I swear, I'll blow your fucking head off!"

"Have it your way," Harry sighed, filling the last of the money into the bag. Both men suddenly looked towards the door when they heard the bells jingle against the glass.

"Stay where you are!" the crook shouted as a woman stepped into the shop. She froze, petrified by the sight of a gun being pointed her way. At that very moment, Harry seized the opportunity and lunged forward, reaching over the counter and hooking his left arm around the assailant's and using his other hand to grab for the weapon. The woman took advantage of his distraction and fled the shop, racing back outside to her car and fleeing the scene. The two men spat and snarled as they struggled to gain dominance over the weapon, neither one showing signs of letting go.

The entire shop shook with the sound of a single, powerful gunshot, and Kevin completely withdrew back inside the restroom, pressing his back against the wall and cursing frantically under his breath as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket to dial 9-1-1. "Shit," he hissed, pressing the phone to his ear, heart racing.

"Just stay where you are, you hear me?" he heard the assailant shout angrily. "Just stay there!"

As much as he wanted to, Kevin didn't dare stick his head out that door, not wanting to run the risk of the crook seeing him and opening fire on him. He managed to keep calm long enough to bestow the needed information about the situation to the 9-1-1 dispatcher, hearing the sound of the bells banging loudly against the door, which told him the crook had finally fled the scene. Flipping the phone shut, Kevin reached out a shaky hand and slowly pulled the door open, peeking his head outside. He saw no sign of Harry behind the counter but was able to make out a few small spatters of blood on the wall, which confirmed his fear.

Swallowing hard, Kevin rushed to the counter, peering over it to find the man on the floor, his back against the cabinets and a hand clutching the top of his arm, blood gushing between his fingers. Kevin ran around to the other side, crouching down beside him. "That was really stupid, you know that?" he scolded.

Harry shrugged his uninjured shoulder. "Yeah, I guess it was," he managed to hiss, biting his lip against the pain. "But that's probably on account of the brain damage I suffered when you dumped those tools on my head."

"Well…despite how stupid it was, you may have easily just saved that woman's life."

Kevin leaned in, trying to push the man's hand away so that he could examine the bullet wound more closely. "Relax," said Harry. "It's just a flesh wound. It ain't like he got me in the liver."

"Yeah, well…flesh wound, or not, you can still bleed to death," Kevin replied sternly as he looked around for a clean rag. "This isn't the movies; there's no safe place to be shot." He opened up one of the cabinets and found several large rags neatly folded near the back. Grabbing one, he ordered the man to move his hand, and he firmly pressed it to the wound, the white fabric quickly turning a deep crimson. "I already called the police. They're on their way."

"Let's hope they don't arrest me out of force of habit."

Harry pushed Kevin's hand away. "I got it," he growled as he held the blood-soaked rag against his wound. Kevin hopped over to his other side and hooked an arm under his shoulder, pulling him to his feet. Once the man was standing and no longer leaning against the cabinets, Kevin was able to see that the bullet had passed all the way through his arm.

"God, it went all the way through," he said, cringing at the sight.

"I don't doubt it," Harry hissed through clenched teeth. "It hurts like hell!"

At that moment, the two were able to hear the distant sound of police sirens, which grew louder by the second. "You better get outta here."

"Why?"

"'Cause…they're probably gonna wanna ask you a lot of questions, and I know you don't want none of that, right?"

Kevin shrugged. "No, I guess not."

"Okay, then, get outta here," the older man repeated as he took a seat at one of the tables.

"Are you sure you're gonna be all right?"

Harry sighed in annoyance. "Yes, all right? If I could survive your little obstacle course of misery, I think I can survive a measly little bullet."

"Getting shot's pretty serious, though."

"I'm still breathin', ain't I? I ain't seein' a bright light _yet_, okay? Now beat it!"

"All right, all right, I'm going." Kevin quickly slipped on his coat and simply grabbed his scarf and gloves, not bothering to put them on. He shot the man one last glance before he exited the shop, his retreating form quickly swallowed by darkness. Harry took a quick glance at his bleeding arm and groaned.

"What a day I'm having," he sighed.

0ooooooo0

Entering the coffee shop, Kevin wasn't even half-expecting to see Harry behind the counter, with his arm possibly in a sling, and sure enough, he was nowhere in sight. It had only been a week since the incident, and though he wasn't that knowledgeable when it came to gunshot wounds and how long it took for the victim to become active again, he had been expecting that the man would be out for at least two weeks. Coming to this shop had just become part of his routine, though it certainly wasn't the same without Harry.

The man he saw standing behind the counter was someone he had never seen in the shop before. He was of average height, possibly in his mid sixties, and graying hair only on the sides of his head. He looked up when he heard Kevin enter the shop, smiling kindly.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Umm, yeah…is Harry in today?" he asked, pulling his winter hat from his head. The man frowned.

"No, we had a robbery last week, and he was injured during the incident."

Kevin nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I know…I was there."

The man suddenly smiled. "You must be Kevin."

Kevin nodded, approaching the counter. He noticed the elder man reach over to grab something, quickly noticing that it was a cup of freshly poured coffee. Handing it off to the blond, the man said, "Two creams, two sugars, right?"

"How'd you know?" Kevin asked, taking the cup.

"Harry told me you'd probably be in. Says you usually come in about this time every week."

Kevin looked down into the cup, noticing steam was still rising off the liquid, which told him the coffee had probably just been prepared moments ago. "Is he all right? I haven't seen him since that day. I tried going to the hospital to see him three days after it happened, but he was already gone."

The man nodded, face splitting into a toothy grin. "Two days and he was ready to leave, much to the disapproval of the doctor, but he's fine. It's all a matter of healing now, which could take a few weeks, or even months. I'd imagine he'll be in next week, and that's regardless of whether or not he _should_. He's incredibly stubborn."

Kevin nodded with a grin, knowing first-hand just how stubborn the man actually was. "So…did he say anything else about me?"

The elder man grinned. "Oh yeah. Says you're too smart for your own good, and you're-and I'm just quoting him-the 'biggest pain in the ass that ever lived'."

Kevin smiled into his coffee. "I've got a whole family of brothers and sisters who would toast to that." Setting down his coffee, Kevin studied the man a little more closely. "You wouldn't happen to be Carl, would you?"

"Yes, that's me, Carl Langster," the man replied, extending his hand, which Kevin accepted with a smile.

"So, what made you want to take your chances with hiring Harry?"

Carl chuckled. "I guess you think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Kevin made a face. "No, I wouldn't say that."

"Well, a lot of people would. Not that I blame them, of course. There is certainly a risk involved when hiring an ex-con, so it's no surprise that most people are quick to turn them away when they come looking for work. But I saw a man who looked like he was trying to make an honest effort, and there was just no way I could look myself in the mirror again if I turned him away. Sometimes people make bad choices, and we're usually quick to judge them for it. It's perfectly understandable, but the irony is if we turn a blind eye to someone who is trying to make things right, we're just ensuring that they stay in a bad position. What do you think would have happened if I hadn't hired Harry?"

Kevin shrugged. "Probably would have kept looking for a job somewhere else."

"And if no one had hired him?"

"Well…I'd imagine he may have eventually given up…and possibly fallen right back into crime."

"Exactly. In fact, he may have even just been taken back to prison. I believe when people are released early, they are _expected_ to find employment. I knew I was taking a serious chance with him, but someone had to. I would have been a hypocrite if I hadn't."

"What'd you mean?"

"Well…I've made some bad choices in my time as well. Back in my thirties, I had a serious alcohol problem. I even got arrested for drunk driving." The man leaned over the counter, lacing his hands together as he regarded the memory with a look of shame. "I've spent time in jail myself, and I was lucky enough to find someone who didn't turn me away when I came looking for work. I always promised I'd repay that kindness in some way. Harry has never given me any reason to regret hiring him, and after what happened last week, I _know _I can trust him."

"I hope it stays that way."

"Oh, I think it will," Carl replied, beaming. "He can be pretty proud of himself."

"I forgot to ask…did they ever catch the guy that robbed you?"

Carl nodded. "Yes, they finally found him two days later. Turns out they had been looking for him for about a month. He's hit several shops and convenient stores around here."

Kevin set his cup down on the counter, slipping his winter cap back on his head. "Well, I hope that's the last robbery you ever have to deal with."

Carl suddenly found himself laughing. "When I visited Harry the first night he spent in the hospital, he went on about how hilarious it was that everyone was worried he'd end up stealing the money, and then ultimately, someone _else_ ended up robbing us."

Kevin grinned. "Well, it _is _kind of ironic."

"He wouldn't stop giggling about it, though. I think it had something to do with the medication they gave him, because he was still laughing when I left."

The blond smirked, wishing he had been there to witness the man in his medically induced state of laughter, which he imagined _had _to be pretty humorous. "I need to get going," he said, throwing his scarf over his shoulder. He started to pull out his wallet to pay for his coffee, but Carl shook his head, holding up a hand.

"Don't worry about it. It's on me, as thanks for being there and helping him."

"Well, thank you," Kevin replied as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "Nice talkin' to ya." Grabbing his coffee, Kevin smiled at the man and headed for the door.

"And to you."

0ooooooo0

It felt good to be back at work. Other than his job, Harry didn't do much else with his time. After being at home for two weeks, he was starting to go mad from boredom. When he entered the coffee shop on Saturday, he oddly found himself in a good mood. A good mood was hard to come by for Harry, and he never thought it would come as a result of being at work.

Four o' clock rolled around faster than usual, and while he was tired (no thanks to his pain medication), Harry felt as though he could have probably worked another hour. Putting on his winter coat and scarf, he caught a glimpse of his co-worker, Debra behind the counter, wearing a deep frown on her face. "What is it with you? Ever since you walked through that door, you've been sulking."

The woman rolled her eyes. "It's my birthday today," she sighed.

"Oh…that _is _a tragedy."

Debra rolled her eyes a second time, unable to stifle a laugh.

"I don't see why that's a reason to be in such a mood."

"What? I'm supposed to be happy about getting older?"

"Older? C'mon…you can't be a day over…what? Twenty-nine? Thirty?"

Debra couldn't suppress a blush. "Aren't _you _the sweet talker. Well, sorry, but I just turned forty today."

"Well, if I had known it was your birthday today, I would have gotten a card."

"Oh I'm sure," the redhead snapped, narrowing her eyes. "You probably would have gotten some nasty card, exaggerating about what an old fart I am. Everyone else I know did."

Harry smirked. "Now would I do that to you?"

A look of realization suddenly crossed the woman's face, and she quickly lifted the unopened box of napkins on the back counter and slipped something out from under it. "That reminds me!" she said. "I almost forgot to give this to you."

"What?"

"This was left here for you yesterday."

Harry approached the counter, reaching a hand out to take the blue envelope from the woman. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know. A young man came in here yesterday and left it for you."

Harry nodded knowingly and slipped the envelope inside the inner pocket of his coat. "All right…well, I'll see ya Monday." After making sure his scarf was secure around his neck, Harry pushed the door open and was on his way, his apartment only two blocks away. Once he had returned to his residence, he had already forgotten about the envelope, hanging his coat up by the door and making his way into the kitchen to fix something to eat.

Later that night, Harry still had not remembered the envelope in his coat pocket. He sat on the edge of his couch, flipping through the channels in hopes of finding something worth watching. He mumbled curses under his breath with each commercial he saw, flipping through at least six channels before he found an actual program. He finally came to a particular channel that showed a panned out view of Times Square, where thousands of people were gathered. It didn't dawn on the man until that moment that it was New Year's Eve. As the screen faded out to a view of the brightly lit ball that was scheduled to drop in less than five minutes, Harry couldn't help but think of Marv.

Marv had always loved watching the ball drop for some reason, but Harry had thought it was the biggest waste of time, and he still did. He had never understood why people would want to stand out in the freezing cold for hours just to watch a giant ball drop.

"_The only way I would ever watch that oversized disco ball drop is if there was even the slightest chance that damn thing would malfunction," _Harry had told Marv one year after the taller man had begged and begged for him to sit down and watch the traditional event with him.

"_Where's your holiday spirit, Harry?" _he had replied. Marv had always been, what Harry thought of as, a ten-year-old stuck in a man's body. Sure, Harry had his moments when the ten-year-old boy in him would emerge, but Marv had always been the more childish of the two.

Harry tossed the remote control aside and leaned back into the couch, unable to find it in his heart to change the channel. "I'm watchin' this stupid event for _you_, Marv," he sighed grudgingly. It was at that moment that he suddenly remembered the envelope he had stuck in his coat pocket as he left work earlier that afternoon. Looking over his shoulder at the coat hanging by the door, he sighed. He pushed himself off the couch and headed for the coat, slipping a hand inside and fumbling around for the envelope. Plopping back down on the couch, Harry turned the envelope over, slipping a finger under the flap and tearing it, which was difficult with only one good arm. Slowly, he slipped a card out of the envelope, an elegant winter landscape painted on the front. He didn't need to open the card to know who it was from, but that certainly didn't dampen his curiosity as to what he could possibly have to say inside it. Somehow he knew it wasn't going to just say, 'Get well soon.'

He stared at the front of the card for a long moment before finally willing himself to open it, finding the entire left side of the card written up in blue ink.

_This year is gone. What do you have to show for it? Probably a hell of a lot more than most people. Not too many people can look back at this past year and see it as an accomplishment. You haven't just taken a single step in the right direction, you have taken a great leap over the biggest hurdle that even the greatest athletes can't jump. I know you're probably rolling your eyes at how corny this sounds, but I'm being sincere in what I say. Many people are unable to handle the obstacles that life throws at them, and in the four weeks that I spent getting to know you, I learned very quickly that your life was just one obstacle after another. You were never given much to work with. They say to play the hand life deals you, but when you're dealt a bad hand, losing is an inevitability. But one thing I managed to learn from you is that sometimes in order to win, you *have* to lose. Now that you've learned to play your cards right, I'm hoping I can do the same. So…I guess that's my New Year's Resolution. My mission is to step into this new year with an open mind and learn from each experience, good or bad, but I'll *especially* embrace the bad and hopefully come out a better person for it. Easier said than done, but I've always enjoyed a challenge. And by the way, I took your advice and talked to Anna yesterday. I'm happy to say that she didn't push me away. She was very happy to get my call, in fact, and we're planning on getting together soon to catch up._  
_So on the off chance that you haven't already tossed this card aside in disgust, I'll go ahead and wrap this up by saying that I hope you look back on this year as initiative to keep moving forward and make this year even better than the last. I hope your arm is healed enough so that you'll be in next week because you *know* I'll be there. Stop rolling your eyes, you know there's nothing you can do to stop me. You're stuck with me. Deal with it._

_Have a good one._

_Your friend (yeah, you read that right),_  
_Kevin_

Just as he came to the end of the message, the cheering on the television set suddenly became much louder, and Harry looked up, noticing the ball was beginning its descent. The clock was ticking the seconds away in the bottom, right corner of the TV. He slowly glanced back down at the card, unable to suppress a grin. "Okay, Marv…" he began as he closed the card and leaned forward to set it down on the small table in front of the couch, "…I just got a reason to watch that stupid ball drop every year." The man shook his head, settling back against the couch.

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

The ball reached the end of its descent, the new year underway. While he didn't know what the future had in store for him, he was not about to let the past repeat itself. He had every intention of moving forward, never backward.

"Happy New Year, kid," he said, unable to keep from rolling his eyes as he sighed the words, the corner of his mouth lifting into the faintest smile.

Just a few miles away, at that very moment, Kevin was wishing him the same.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, that's it. I hope you all enjoyed reading! A big thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**-Please Note-**

Harry's wedding ring is actually canon. If you watch the movie closely, you'll see a wedding ring on his hand. The popular, and most likely, theory is that it's Pesci's ring since he was married at the time the movie was made, and he just forgot to take it off during filming, but another theory is that his character might have been married. And some suggest he may have just stole it. But I liked the theory that he was actually married. It gave me a chance to explore his character a little deeper.


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